


Brothers in All But Name

by unofficialfansie



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, I'm Bad At Tagging, My First AO3 Post, Sickness, The Refuge, Violence, just read the summary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-23 07:53:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14930219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unofficialfansie/pseuds/unofficialfansie
Summary: When Jack takes a young boy under his wing at the Refuge, it changes both of their lives forever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was watching Newsies a few nights ago and this happened. Enjoy!

Pain. Pain was the first thing Jack Kelly knew. Pain and darkness.

 

Slowly, his senses awakened. There was the smell of rotting wood and unwashed bodies. The unnerving sound of whispering all around him, so quiet it was almost inaudible. The feeling of something hard pressing against his back.

 

The pain became sharper, too, acuter. His legs throbbed and his chest ached and his head felt as though someone was trying to split it open with an ax. As he came to Jack moved slightly, causing new waves of pain to wash over him. He moaned, his eyelids fluttering as he struggled to open them.

 

The whispers around him increased, and he could now distinguish individual voices. _I think he’s wakin’ up! Damn, Snyder sure gave him a beating. That’s worse than the one I got last Christmas!_

 

_Snyder._ The name was familiar to Jack, though in his dazed and confused state he couldn’t ascertain exactly why.

 

Fighting against unconsciousness, Jack finally managed to open his eyes a sliver. Blinking against the light which now assaulted him, he saw that he was lying on the floor of a small room, staring up at the dirty ceiling which was crawling with termites.

 

In that instant, everything came back to him. _Sleeping on the street. Waking up to a grim-faced policeman standing over him. Being dragged down the street screaming and crying. Warden Snyder. The Refuge._

 

All these memories flooded his brain, causing Jack to suddenly sit up, an act he soon regretted as the pain which exploded in his head threatened to send him into darkness once more.

 

Taking deep breaths to calm himself, Jack took in his surroundings. He was surrounded by rickety old bunk beds that looked ready to collapse at any minute. Young boys with pale, gaunt faces were sitting on them, wrapped in threadbare blankets that did little to ward off the cold that was seeping into the room through the cracks in the walls and the one small, grimy window on the far side of the room.

 

As Jack gazed at his roommates he saw no friendly faces, not one boy who seemed willing to share a bed or a blanket with him. Still, he knew he couldn’t stay on the floor all night and so he slowly pushed himself up until he was standing, clutching his side as tears of pain welled in his eyes.

 

Slowly, Jack began to limp across the room. His legs shook and threatened to give out at any second, but he kept moving regardless. The whispers ceased completely as the boys watched him, stunned into silent awe.

 

By some miracle, Jack finally spotted an empty bunk in the corner of the room. He could have cried in relief as he stumbled towards it, slowly lowering himself onto the hard mattress with a contented sigh.

 

Curling up underneath the threadbare blanket which had been laying on top of the bed Jack pretended that he was back at home again, being tucked in by his mother with a smile and a soft kiss. This fantasy was one he often turned to when things got hard, and that night it slowly lulled him into a restless but healing sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack was startled awake by the sound of a door slamming.

 

Turning over in bed to face the early morning light filtering in through the window, he groaned. He felt marginally better, but not nearly well enough to get up and face the day of work he was sure awaited him. He knew, however, that dragging himself out of bed was the only way to avoid another beating from Snyder, and so he fought off the skull-splitting headache building in his head and slowly sat up.

 

The boys around Jack were doing the same thing, each reluctantly rousing themselves and preparing for a day of hard work and almost certain beatings. There was no breakfast at the Refuge, only a midday meal of bread and water and an evening meal of watery stew, so the boys simply climbed out of bed and pulled on worn pairs of boots, shirts, and pants.

 

A few minutes later the door to the small room once again banged open and a guard burst in, snarling at them to get moving. The boys obeyed immediately, silently filing out into the hall to join the other boys spilling out from the holding rooms which lined the halls of the Refuge. They then waited, the air thick with anticipation and dread.

 

The daily work of the Refuge hinged upon the whims of Snyder, and so changed from day to day. That day the boys were required to clean the entire building from top to bottom, a disgusting affair which involved chasing away rats and scrubbing at what appeared to be bloodstains, all the while keeping their heads down and praying the guards wouldn’t find fault with what they were doing.

 

Some weren’t so lucky, however. Within three hours Jack witnessed two boys be hit with clubs for not working fast enough, and one unlucky soul was dragged off to Snyder’s office for talking back. At this last one Jack silently shook his head, Snyder’s office was where he had come back from the day before. He knew what happened there.

 

At noon the guards handed out scraps of stale bread and glasses of murky water, which all the boys quickly scarfed down. The Refuge was one place where no one ever turned down food, even the youngest of residents understanding that another meal wasn’t guaranteed anytime soon.

 

After eating Jack quickly went back to work, trying to ignore how his limbs ached and protested every time he moved them. The guards had been eyeing him all day, and he wasn’t about to give them an excuse to beat him. Not after yesterday.

 

The day passed surprisingly quickly, and Jack soon found himself seated at the long tables in the dining hall, downing the usual sorry excuse for a meal along with everyone else. The hall was mostly silent, with a few whispered conversations here and there when the guards weren’t paying attention.

 

Jack ate slightly slower than usual that night, trying to savor the few bites of food he had before they were all gone. The boy next to him, however, ate so quickly that he was finished well before anyone else. He then stared longingly at his empty bowl, clearly still ravenous.

 

Glancing at the boy, Jack quickly ascertained from his demeanor and looks that he was new to the Refuge and a few years younger than Jack. Jack could also tell from the plethora of bruises and cuts covering the boy that Snyder was taking full advantage of this fact.

 

The longer he studied the boy, the sorrier Jack felt for him. He could remember what it had been like when he had first arrived at the Refuge a few months ago, how scared and helpless he had been. Jack also knew what it felt like to be hungry, so hungry it felt like your stomach would cave in on itself if you didn’t get more food.

 

Sharing food was strictly against the rules of the Refuge, but Jack had never cared much for rules. He quickly scanned the room, making sure none of the guards was looking at him, then quickly dumped the remainder of his stew into the other boy’s bowl.

 

The boy blinked, startled, and opened his mouth to protest. Jack quickly shushed him. “Don’ ask questions, just eat.”

 

The boy didn’t need to be convinced further, he downed the rest of Jack’s portion in the blink of an eye. When he had finished he smiled up at Jack gratefully. “Thanks,” he whispered.

 

Jack smiled softly at the boy. “Anytime, kid.”

 

Supper was soon over and the boys were herded back to their rooms, the guards barking at them to get a move on. Jack was surprised to see that the boy he had sat next to at supper was in the same room as him, he hadn’t noticed him the night before or that morning. He must have  _ just  _ arrived.

 

The other boys scrambled to claim beds as soon as the guards left, and there were a few brief scuffles around the room. The boy looked at this mad dash with wide eyes, then glanced up at Jack shyly.

 

Jack smiled reassuringly at the boy. “You wanna share a bed, kid?”

 

The boy’s face lit up and he nodded.

 

“Okay, then. You got a name?” Jack asked.

 

“Anthony,” the boy whispered. “Anthony Higgins.”

 

Jack grinned. “Nice ta meet you, Anthony. I’m Jack Kelly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! I hope to have the next chapter up by tomorrow, but I'm having a hard time writing it so I can't promise anything. Please leave comments/kudos and tell me what you think about the story so far, as well as what you think is going to happen next!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the brief delay, this chapter was kind of hard for me to write for some reason. I hope you enjoy it, though!

Things got better after Jack met Anthony.

 

Life wasn’t great, of course. Jack was still a prisoner in the Refuge, subjected to back-breaking work each day and beatings whenever Snyder felt the need to let off some steam. But through it all Anthony was there, cleaning Jack up, encouraging him to keep going and being so completely  _ good  _ that Jack’s curiosity about what exactly Anthony had done to land him in the Refuge grew with each passing day.

 

Of course, nothing good could last forever. Especially not in a place like the Refuge. Jack knew this better than anyone, but he still hung on to the hope that everything would be okay, that Snyder would continue to (mostly) leave him and Anthony alone. That maybe him and Anthony could somehow escape and maybe stay together. It would be nice, normal, and simple.

 

Of course, life could never be as simple as Jack wanted it to be.

 

********************************************************************************************************

 

Anthony leaned into Jack, coughing harshly into his shoulder. Jack frowned, nudging him playfully. “You okay, kid?”

 

Anthony shook his head. “Don’t feel good, Jack.”

 

Worry bloomed in the pit of Jack’s stomach, and he pressed a hand to Anthony’s forehead. It was clammy and cold.

 

“You don’t got a fever,” Jack observed. “Does anythin’ hurt?”

 

Anthony shook his head and leaned into Jack more, shivering in the cold, damp air of the dormitory. They were both quiet for a minute before Anthony doubled over, coughing hard once again.

 

Jack rubbed Anthony’s back and murmured soothing words of comfort, his heart leaping in his chest as he watched Anthony gasp for air. This was all too similar to how his mother had been just before she died, and Jack wasn’t about to stand by and watch while that happened to the boy who was the closest thing he had to family these days.

 

When Anthony finished coughing Jack smiled softly and lovingly at him, tucking their blanket tighter around him. “Go ta sleep, kid. You’ll feel better in the mornin’.”

 

Anthony nodded and rested his head in Jack’s lap, quickly drifting off in his exhausted and weakened state. Jack, however, stayed awake all night, watching over Anthony and beginning to formulate a plan in his mind. After four nights of this, Jack was ready to put that plan into action. It was risky, but Jack was no stranger to taking risks and he was starting to get desperate. Anthony was getting worse by the day, and Jack knew the only way he could help him was if they were free. He was getting them out of there if it was the last thing he did.

 

********************************************************************************************************

 

The night was cold, but the sky was clear for once and the moon shone down brightly, illuminating the courtyard below.

 

Jack opened the window slowly and carefully, trying his hardest not to make any noise. The other boys watched him with bated breath, no one wanting to accidentally sabotage the escape of one of their own.

 

There were bars attached to the window but they were rusted so that there wasn’t a speck of their original color left to be seen. It didn’t take long for Jack and the other boys to pry the bars off the window, they gave with only a slight squeak or clang.

 

Once the window was completely open Jack leaned out of it and looked down at the ground below. They were on the first floor so it wasn’t too far down, only about 4 or 5 feet. Grinning to himself, Jack could feel adrenaline begin to rush through his veins in anticipation.

 

Jack carefully gathered a still half-asleep Anthony in his arms, then hoisted himself up onto the window ledge. He gazed down at the ground below, hesitated a moment, then jumped out of the window. He landed nimbly on two feet, only jostling Anthony slightly in the fall.

 

Jack was careful to keep to the shadows, pressing himself up against the walls of the building. He wasn’t sure if there were guards posted outside the Refuge at night but it wouldn’t have surprised him if there were, and he wasn’t willing to risk any more than he had to. Mercifully, Anthony had fallen asleep almost as soon as they had hit the ground, and so was keeping perfectly quiet.

 

Jack managed to make it to the other side of the courtyard to the gate with no incidents, a feat which he silently thanked God for. Shifting Anthony slightly in his arms, Jack pulled a bent nail which he had managed to save from when he was repairing a window in Snyder’s office a few days earlier from his pocket. Bending over, he inserted the nail into the lock on the gate and began to move it around, his ears tuned to the sound of the tumblers inside the lock moving.

 

Finally, after what seemed like years, Jack heard the soft sound of the lock opening. Eagerly, he wrestled the lock off and swung the gate open, for once not caring about the loud squeak it made.

 

Just as Jack was about to step through the gate to his new life, he heard the unmistakable click of a loaded gun and felt cold metal be pressed to the back of his skull. A cold, hollow laugh filled his ears. Jack’s mouth went dry.

 

“If you move, boy, I’ll blow your brains out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cliffhanger because I enjoy making the people who read my stuff squirm. :) Please leave comments/kudos, and tell me what you thought of this chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

****

Jack’s breath began to come in shallow bursts, and his grip on Anthony tightened as he felt the man’s hot breath on his neck.

“Thought you could escape, huh?” The man chuckled. Jack recognized his voice as the voice of Wilson, Snyder’s most trusted guard. “And with your little friend too. Well, let’s see what Snyder has to say about that.”

Wilson pressed his gun into the small of Jack’s back and spun him around so that he was facing towards the Refuge once again. Jack’s stomach dropped at the thought of what inevitably awaited him and Anthony inside.

Wilson shoved Jack forward. “Walk.”

Jack did as Wilson asked, slowly moving towards the entrance while his mind spun, desperately trying to come up with a plan. Looking down at Anthony in his arms, so small pressed against his chest, Jack suddenly knew what he had to do.

When Jack reached the entrance to the Refuge he tripped and landed on his knees, subtly setting down Anthony in the process.

“Come on, boy. Up,” Wilson said exasperatedly, kicking Jack in the legs.

Jack hid his wince when the hard boots Wilson wore made contact with his legs, refusing to give Wilson the satisfaction of knowing he had hurt him.

Taking a deep breath Jack counted to three in his head, gathering all his strength as he prepared himself. He then swiftly kicked Wilson in the shins, causing Wilson to groan in pain and lunge for him.

Jack was quicker than Wilson, however, and rolled out of the way. Wilson fell forward, his gun going off with a loud bang when he hit the ground.

Jack cried out in pain as the bullet grazed his leg, but he did his best to ignore the blood now pouring out of his leg and he stood, preparing himself for Wilson’s next strike.

Wilson let out a low growl, seething with anger as he picked himself up off the ground. He stalked towards Jack, his face red and dripping with sweat despite the chilly night air.

Wilson swung at Jack’s face in a blind rage, but Jack easily deflected him and punched him in his large stomach. As Wilson bent over, gasping for air, Jack moved towards him again and grabbed the gun in his hand, pulling on it as hard as he could.

Wilson finally let go of the gun, his face turning purple as he struggled to breathe. Jack could smell alcohol on his breath, meaning that Wilson was likely at least slightly drunk and in no condition to fight anyone, let alone an angry kid with hardly anything to lose like himself.

Holding the gun tightly Jack limped over to Wilson and, without a second thought, struck Wilson in the head with it. Wilson crumpled immediately, but Jack could see that he was simply unconscious from the way his chest rose and fell steadily as he lay on the ground.

With the fight over Jack could feel the energy draining out of him. He was overcome with the need to lie down and sleep, but he forced himself awake and hurried over to Anthony, who was miraculously (and perhaps worryingly) still asleep.

Jack gently picked up Anthony and checked him all over for injuries. Satisfied there were none, he turned and limped towards the exit as fast as he could, knowing someone would soon find Wilson and know he had escaped.

As soon as he was past the front gates of the Refuge, Jack let out a huge sigh of relief. Safe. He and his little brother were finally  _ safe _ .

With this major obstacle behind him, Jack soon became aware that not only was he losing a lot of blood but he had no idea where he was going. His head ached and he could hear ringing in his ears, a sure sign that unconsciousness was looming.

Jack stumbled along the streets blindly, almost dropping Anthony a few times. Nothing looked familiar, they seemed to be in a part of the city that Jack had never seen before. Brightly lit theaters crowded the streets, which were quiet at this time of night except for the occasional strolling couple or shady-looking businessman.

Jack gazed up at the impressive marquees, his exhausted brain only vaguely registering the words painted on them in fancy lettering.

Finally turning away from the buildings Jack stumbled down a side street, collapsing with Anthony in his arms next to a doorway which appeared to lead to the inside of one of the theaters. The night’s events catching up to him, Jack slowly started to slip into a world of darkness. Just before he fell completely unconscious Jack thought he heard footsteps approaching, but he was powerless to stop whoever was coming towards him and Anthony as blackness surrounded him and pulled him completely under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this! I hope you liked it, the next chapter should be up tomorrow. Please tell me your thoughts on the story so far by leaving comments/kudos!


	5. Chapter 5

Jack felt like he was floating on clouds, surrounded by warmth and comfort. Though his body ached it was a healing ache, not an ache from the cold which seemed to have permanently settled in his bones during his time at the Refuge.

 

_ The Refuge. Anthony. _

 

Jack’s eyes opened, and he sat straight up in bed with a gasp. Light flooded his senses, and he looked around wildly. He was lying on a bed made up with comfortable feather pillows with a thick blanket spread over him. The room he was in was small, but it was stylishly decorated and had a feeling of comfort and love.

 

Jack threw back the covers and tried to get out of bed, but his leg seemed to be weighed down by something. Pulling up the leg of the nightshirt he had been outfitted in while he was asleep, Jack saw that someone had applied a plaster bandage to his injured leg. He poked at it and was rewarded with a jolt of pain shooting through his leg. He grunted in discomfort, then froze as he heard footsteps coming toward his room.

 

The door opened slowly, and an elegant looking woman poked her head into the room. Seeing that Jack was awake she smiled gently and lovingly at him and walked all the way into the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

 

“I’m glad to see you awake,” the woman remarked.

 

“Where am I?” Jack asked, his voice cracking slightly from disuse.

 

“My apartment, in Manhattan. I found you and your friend outside my theater, so I brought you here to look after you.”

 

“Anthony, where is he?” Jack asked, suddenly frantic once more.

 

“If you mean your friend, he’s asleep in the room next door. He’s fine, I promise.”

 

“I want to see him,” Jack insisted, trying to escape from the cocoon of blankets and pillows he was surrounded by.

 

“Not just yet,” the woman said, shaking her head and putting a firm hand on Jack’s chest to keep him from getting up. “He needs rest, and so do you. Sleep a little more, and then I’ll bring you some lunch and you can see him, alright?”

 

Jack was suddenly overwhelmed with how tired he felt, so he nodded sleepily. “Alright,” he acquiesced, lying back down on the pillows.

 

The woman smiled at him again and stood to leave, but Jack grabbed her arm to stop her. “What’s your name, Ma’am?” he asked.

 

“Medda Larkin,” the woman answered.

 

Jack nodded in understanding as he dropped off to sleep. “I’se Jack Kelly,” he murmured.

 

Medda smiled down at his now sleeping form. “Nice to meet you, Jack Kelly,” she whispered as she slipped out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kind of short, sorry about that! The next (and final) chapter will be up tomorrow and it will be longer. As usual, comments/kudos are greatly appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to post this two days ago, sorry to everyone who had to wait! I hope you enjoy the last chapter in this story, I'm really happy with the way it came out.

Two weeks after being discovered outside of Miss Medda Larkin’s theater Jack and Anthony were well on their way to recovery. The bullet wound in Jack’s leg had remained free of infection and was healing nicely, and Anthony’s cough was almost completely gone with the help of some pills from a fancy doctor which Anthony had dutifully (but reluctantly) taken.

 

Both boys were gaining weight, too. Miss Medda fed them a steady diet of delicious home cooked meals and made sure there was always enough so that they could fill their stomachs properly. All things considered, Jack and Anthony’s lives had greatly improved in the short time they’d been away from the Refuge.

 

But Jack was still uneasy. Though he knew Miss Medda would never grow tired of them and throw them out, he also knew that she wasn’t exactly a wealthy woman and that taking care of both him and Anthony was slowly draining her finances.

 

And so Jack began to contemplate the idea of work. He had never held a steady job before as it had only been a year and a half since his father died and much of that time was spent inside the Refuge or running from Snyder, but he was certainly willing to try. The only trouble now was finding that job.

 

********************************************************************************************************

 

“Miss Medda?”

 

Medda looked up from her plate to see Jack looking at her with a shy expression on his face. She frowned in concern. “Yes, honey?”

 

“If I wanted ta get a job, where would I go?”

 

Medda blinked, surprised for a moment. Then she smiled reassuringly at Jack. “You don’t need to worry about a job just yet, Jack. You and Anthony can stay here for as long as you need to.”   
  


“But we can’t stay here forever,” Jack protested. “One day, we’se gonna have ta leave an’ get jobs, an’ I wanna know where.”

 

Medda studied Jack’s face for a moment, then set her fork down with a sigh. “Very well, since you seem so set on it. There are lots of places a boy can get work in this city, but I think you’d do very well as a newsboy.”

 

“A newsboy? Me?” Jack was surprised. He had expected Medda to point him to the nearest sweatshop or slaughterhouse, not to the newspaper distribution center.

 

Medda nodded. “You’re very persuasive and charming, Jack. Those are important qualities to have at your disposal when selling newspapers.”

 

Jack grinned happily. “Alright then. This time tomorrow, I’ll be sellin’ newspapers!”

 

Medda chuckled. “Not so fast, Jack. You still need a week or two longer before you’re fully fit to be out and about all day.”

 

“But a week’s so long ta wait!” Jack whined.

 

“And you’ll have to wait longer if you keep complaining,” Medda announced matter-of-factly. “Now, finish your dinner before it gets cold.”

 

********************************************************************************************************

“What if the other boys don’t like me?”

 

Jack smiled down at Anthony, who was looking up at him with a worried expression. “They’ll like you just as much as I do.”

 

“Promise?”

 

“Promise.”

 

Anthony seemed satisfied with that, and the two boys continued on their way to the newspaper distribution center for the New York World. Jack had chosen to sell that newspaper because it was one of the most popular, and therefore he would make much more money than if he sold another newspaper.

 

Jack glanced down at Anthony again, smiling to himself as he saw the kid’s expression of wide-eyed wonderment as he took in his surroundings. Anthony was the little brother Jack had never had, and Jack would fight to the ends of the Earth to protect him. Jack couldn’t have been more grateful that he had met Anthony, who had been a light in his life even in the direst of situations. And as they headed towards a new chapter in both their lives together, Jack was thrilled that he could share it with a boy who was truly his brother in all but name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know, the ending's super corny. I never claimed to be skilled at coming up with good endings. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it, thank you all so much for your wonderful comments and kudos! (Also, in case you guys care I will be posting another story later, so keep a lookout for that!)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This is the first Newsies fic I'm posting to AO3, but it is by no means my first Newsies fic. As you may or may not know, I have both a Tumblr and an FF.net account (under the same name) so please go check me out there if you haven't already! Also, please leave comments/kudos and tell me what you think of this so far!


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